To the Ends of the Earth
by sof-iction
Summary: "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Armando." She extended her hand to him, expecting nothing less than a firm handshake. However, she was taken aback when he slipped his fingers underneath hers and kissed the back of her palm. "The pleasure is all mine, mi querida…"
1. The pleasure is all mine, mi querida…

**A/N: **Hey guys! This is my first published work for Ace Attorney, and it's only fair that it is about my two favorite characters. Seriously, Mia & Diego have the best story arc in the ENTIRE franchise, you can't change my mind. Also! This multi-chapter work is going to be a series of one-shots that follow the same narrative (I'm just god-awful at writing a flow of events) but they should be read in order! Happy reading :)

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It was raining early that morning. A rare sight in California, however Mia Fey still stood waiting faithfully at the bus stop outside her apartment complex, for nothing could dampen her resolve. It was an important day, after all. The first day of everything she had ever hoped for, the start of her new job at Grossberg Law Offices.

She had only recently passed the bar exam, and fresh out of law school she began her interview process, beginning the best law firms in the state. Though her resume was lacking, Grossberg had taken one look at it and hired her on the spot. She was suspicious, but planned to take this opportunity and run with it.

Suddenly the bus came to a screeching stop in front of her. Mia Fey stepped over a puddle and boarded, eager to begin this new chapter.

As soon as she arrived at the rather gaudy front lobby of her new workplace, she felt the immediate rush of nerves shoot through her body and her intestines seemed to contort into a twisted web inside her stomach. She slowly took a deep breath. 'You can do this, Mia... Go in there and show them what you've got!'

With a sudden urgency, Mia confidently swung open the heavy door. Unfortunately, along with her powerful stride, she immediately collided with something tall and solid, knocking another object to the ground with a shatter.

It was then that Mia Fey decided she would turn herself around and climb back up Kurain mountain and beg the gods for forgiveness.

However, that was not an option at the moment, so she cursed under her breath and rushed to aid whomever she had so rudely assaulted. Walking through the threshold of the doorway and muttering apologies left and right, she wasn't watching where she was going and found herself colliding into something.

"Oh my goodness, I am so sorry, I—"

Her words got lost in her throat as she met the handsome gaze of a tall man, looking surprised with a hint of curiosity. An involuntary blush blossomed across the young attorney's cheeks when she got a better look at his tan chiseled features. He looked like he might be latino, or something straight out of one of her romance novels. Either way, he was nothing short of sexy. Her eyes immediately averted to the floor, all impure thoughts admonished as stumbled over something proper to say.

The stunning man simply laughed, the tone of his deep voice signaled that he wasn't upset as one might usually be, especially when they were brutally attacked before 8 o'clock in the morning by a stranger with a heavy door.

"Ha…! Don't worry about me. I'm just a little disappointed by my coffee mug, she was a beauty," The man gestured to the broken white pieces of what was apparently a mug a few seconds ago, now strewn across the floor in a pool of spilled dark liquid.

"My apologies, sir! I'll go get you a new one right away, just—"

"No need, I've got plenty. I assume you have more important things to attend to this morning, correct?"

Mia nodded apologetically.

"If there's anything you need, uh—please let me know. I'm so sorry for the trouble, sir!"

Mia left as quickly as she came, checking her watch to make sure she wouldn't be late on her first day. She picked up her pace to a steady speed-walk as she tried to shake off the events of her already turbulent morning.

She quickly brushed off her skirt as she raised her hand to knock on the door of her new boss, Marvin Grossberg's office. As soon as he heard her approach, his jovial booming voice resonated through the walls and his door burst open.

"Miss Fey! Good morning, won't you come in?"

Despite Mia's morning blunder, her subsequent meeting began rather smoothly. She quickly got back into her professional groove, listening attentively to her boss's orientation of office policy and work schedule. She almost regained her initial sense of confidence when her boss's door swung open.

"Morning, Marv," a deep voice called from the doorway that Mia recognized right away. It couldn't be, could it?

Mia's heart skipped a beat as the handsome romance novel-esque man from earlier that morning entered the room, holding a fresh coffee mug identical to the one she had broken only a few moments prior.

"Sorry I'm late, I had a fatal accident this morning," The man looked up at Mr. Grossberg, and a small smirk played on his lips when he noticed Mia sitting in the chair across from his boss. Mia's face turned a stark shade of white, then blushed profusely. This couldn't _possibly_ be happening, could it? Surely, this was divine punishment of some kind, she thought, trying desperately to keep her cool. However, all bets were off when the handsome man quickly winked in her direction, making her limbs turn to jelly.

"Ah, Mr. Armando!" Mr. Grossberg addressed the man with a pat on the shoulder, inviting him to sit down. "Miss Fey, this is Diego Armando, one of our finest attorneys." Mia nodded politely.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Armando." She extended her hand to him, expecting nothing less than a firm handshake. However, she was taken aback when he slipped his fingers underneath hers and kissed the back of her palm.

"The pleasure is all mine, mi querida…"

Despite being completely unprofessional, Mia was entranced by his bold gesture. Also, the way something foreign rolled off his tongue made her insides flip. What did he just call her? She decided she would sort that out later, and returned her attention back to her boss.

"Mr. Armando will be showing you the ropes, Miss Fey. You'll be able to assist as his legal aide until you pursue your first case."

Mia looked at her new colleague again, eyeing him closely, trying to size him up. What was she getting herself into? Mr. Grossberg stood up from his desk.

"Well then, I suppose I should leave you two to get to know each other. Mr. Armando, please show Miss Fey her office space," Mr. Grossberg leaned towards Mia, addressing her directly. "You're in great hands m'dear. I trust you'll find our offices a great fit!" Mia nodded at her boss and followed her new handsome colleague down the hall.


	2. This isn't a business visit, Kitten

**A/N: **I've sold my soul to this project so here's the second update! I love these characters so much can you tell?

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She didn't mean to run away. There was just something about the cold solitude of kurain village brought her a strange sort of comfort. The smell of home, and starting over, was a bittersweet necessity.

Snowflakes gently fell at the window of her childhood room. She was greeted with sneers from her elders as she came trudging back to her village, filled with shame and defeat, after leaving with such confidence to pursue her dreams. Her aunt met her smugly at the gate, with her all-knowing smirk hidden behind the sleeves of her yukata. It is widely accepted in the kurain tradition that those who willingly leave the village are forever banished, and are no longer welcome to return. However, because of Mia's bloodline, she was granted permission to enter, much to the disdain of the elders.

Mia lay quietly on her small, twin-sized cot, flashbacks of Terry Fawles' dying expression burned into her subconscious. She furiously tried to shake her thoughts, but somehow the traumatizing visions still slipped through into her mind...

Tears began to slip down her cheeks as she curled tightly into her knees. The words of her mentor meant nothing to her now, for she could no longer consider herself a lawyer, and even then, her life was as good as over. She had so longed to avenge her mother's disgrace to the outside world, but only served to perpetuate the dark cloud of shame surrounding her family name. Her shoulders began to shake with choked sobs as she buried her face in her hands.

She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she didn't notice a new presence in her doorway. Her little sister, Maya, peeked her head into the room and called out to her softly.

"Mia? There's someone here to see you!"

The distinct, dark aroma of blend #102 brought her back to reality. Her head jolted up to search for the source of the familiar smell. It couldn't be, could it?

Suddenly her teary eyes looked up to meet the smoldering gaze of her mentor and colleague, Diego Armando, leaning against her doorway. Startled, she sat up and began to dust herself off, feeling slightly embarrassed at her pitiful state.

"Diego— !" Mia stopped in her tracks, realizing her sister was still within earshot, and tried to correct herself. She didn't want her traditional-valued family to get the wrong idea about her addressing a man so informally.

"Uh I mean— M-Mr. Armando... What are you doing here?" she choked out, trying to appear as though she hadn't been completely broken mere seconds ago. Maya, still watching the pair with a knowing gaze, smiled and slowly crept away, leaving them alone together. Diego smirked.

"Ha…! I hope you don't think you'll get rid of me that easily, kitten."

Mia felt a blush creep up on her cheeks. Damn her and her stupid crush on the senior attorney.

"How did you… What are you doing here?" She repeated, unable to think of anything more intelligent to say. She knew that most men were not allowed in the village, but she could easily imagine how an attractive and smooth-talking one like Diego had by-passed that rule.

"I know you better than you think. However, I hadn't pegged you for the quitting type," He answered. "May I come in?"

Mia nodded, straightening up on the bed as he sat down next to her.

"I'm not quitting," Mia retorted after a brief moment of silence. "I'm respectfully changing my mind about my current career direction."

Diego let out a laugh at her statement.

"I guess that's one way of putting it."

He sighed, taking a sip of something in a small Kurain tea cup. The nuns at the door must have offered him a drink immediately, in an attempt to gain some male attention. He immediately spit the contents back out as he coughed at the taste.

"Geez, kitten, what on earth do they put in this stuff?" he asked, grimacing.

Mia smiled slightly at his reaction. "It's a special blend of herbal tea," she answered. "It's an acquired taste."

Diego placed his cup on the small table beside her, shaking his head.

"See? You can't possibly stay at a place where there's no coffee. It's just inhumane."

Mia sighed. Turning to face her window again. She pondered his words from earlier in the courthouse. 'The only time a lawyer can cry is when it's all over…' Was this really the end for her? Could she even find her place again in the village? What would become of her future? Of Maya? And of course, her mother's legacy? She couldn't throw it all away. But, she had to admit, the offer of hiding away from it all on top of a mountain was very enticing.

Diego noticed her pensive expression and joined her in looking outside.

"You can't let one bad experience define the rest of your career. If we all did that, there wouldn't be any of us left."

She turned around at his words. She knew he meant what he said. The smug facade was gone, and his handsome features formed an expression filled with a genuine concern she had never seen before.

"What if I'm not cut out for this? How can I ever set foot back in that courtroom?" She felt her tears well up again at the thought.

Diego's face softened. He noticed that her gaze had slipped downward to the floor, and she could no longer look him in the eye.

"Mia…" Sighing, he gently lifted her chin with his fingers until she was level with him. Her cheeks flushed and a single tear escaped down to her nose. He hadn't called her by her given name since the trial, and she felt a sudden jolt of energy fluttering through her body as she heard it roll off his tongue so beautifully.

"I can't let you walk away from this. I won't let you give up, no matter how bad it gets. I made a promise to you that I would help you succeed, and I don't intend to break that promise... As for the courtroom, we'll take that step inside together, when you're ready. I know who you are, Mia Fey. And I know real passion when I see it. It's in you, and it's not going anywhere but back into that courtroom. Do you understand?"

Mia paused, then nodded with tears still threatening to spill over. She knew he was right. He always seemed to be right about everything when it came to her.

Diego smiled softly at his protege, his dark eyes glowing with a sense of pride that was purely unselfish. Gently he brushed his thumb across her cheek, catching a stray tear, and he watched as his fingers left a bright pink blush in their wake.

Mia met his gaze once more. "I know I'm not supposed to cry anymore, but…" she inhaled sharply as another tear fell.

Diego didn't respond. He just took her in his arms, and allowed her to trail off into a quiet sob. He didn't have any ulterior motive for the sudden physical contact, he just couldn't bear to see her face marred by such sadness. Deep down, he felt strangely protective of Mia. Though he knew she had the sharpest claws he'd ever seen, something inside him felt like he needed to be on the offensive whenever something dared to face her. She felt so small, trembling in his arms. It was then that he vowed to himself he would never let anything harm her as long as he lived.

Mia's breathing slowly evened out, and she awkwardly pulled away from his embrace, blushing profusely.

"I- uh, thank you for coming all this way… It really wasn't necessary," She mumbled.

Diego laughed. "Believe it or not, this wasn't a business visit, kitten."

Mia stared at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well," he began. "Don't misunderstand me, Mia. I wouldn't drive 100 miles in the snow for just anyone," He coughed. "You, however, are a special case."

Mia's puzzled expression remained. She felt her heart skip a beat, was he going to say what she thinks he's going to say?

"Well, I really appreciate it… Diego," She experimented with his first name on her lips, eyeing his expression as a smirk began to form.

"What I would like to know," he began, gently. "Is if you would consider working with me, as a partner?"

Mia was slightly surprised by his words. As much as it wasn't a romantic confession, she still felt the same adrenaline rush of butterflies in her stomach. She had been working under him for quite some time, and she never considered herself his equal in terms of experience and skill.

"Diego, I… Of course I would love to work alongside you, but, do you really think I could?"

Armando looked at her slightly embarrassed expression and laughed.

"Ha…! I'm not one for saying things I don't mean, Kitten. And you know my rule about asking questions you don't already know the answer to…"

Mia smiled and let out a soft laugh, straightening her posture and meeting his eyes.

"Yes," She responded, confidently this time. "I couldn't imagine doing this with anyone else."

In a brief moment of impulse, Mia leaped forward and wrapped her arms around Diego's neck, pulling him into an enthusiastic celebratory embrace. He was taken aback at first, but eventually followed suit, his hands resting on the small of her back. Mia pulled away slightly so she could make eye contact with him once more.

"But, if we're going to be partners now, are you going to keep calling me 'kitten'?"

Diego smirked, looking deeply into her passionate eyes.

"A tiger can't change his stripes that easily."


	3. So you're the baby kitten, huh?

**A/N:** Thanks for making it this far, I appreciate it. I have absolutely no business writing fiction but here I am again with another update no one asked for! Happy reading :)

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Once Mia had made up her mind to return to the city, she re-packed her bags and said her goodbyes to her little sister.

Maya was about twelve years old, smart and bubbly, and greatly admired her big sister. It was difficult for Mia, being so far away from her family, and she regrets how much of Maya's childhood she had missed. It seems she had grown up in the blink of an eye. After their mother's disappearance, Mia took on the maternal role, trying her best to be a good model for her sister to follow. Unfortunately, by Kurain's standards, Mia was a complete disgrace. As soon as she had announced that she planned to go into the city to study law, her elder family members were obligated to shun her. Even though Mia was the eldest daughter of the main family bloodline, her spiritual powers were lacking, and she didn't have much interest in training. Maya, however, had a great sense of her spiritual background, so Mia was relieved that her decision to leave would allow her sister to take over as the head of the Kurain channeling technique.

Her mother's sister, Morgan Fey, had taken over as Maya's guardian while Mia was away. Mia could feel the bitterness oozing from the woman, and she hoped that Maya wouldn't succumb to their aunt's horrible attitude. Jealousy was an unfortunate part of their family background, and her aunt was no exception. This toxic power-struggle between Kurain women would be destined to go on throughout future generations unless the cycle of greed was broken. Part of the reason Mia was so sure that she had to leave the village was to avoid taking the rightful title of 'Master' away from Maya, should her sister choose to accept it. Morgan Fey despised Mia for this very reason. The title Morgan had fought to attain for generations, Mia had simply given away.

Despite the animosity between their relatives, Mia had never let anything taint her relationship with Maya. Her sister was all she had left of her family, and the only living part left of her mother. Their mother had given both sisters their own magatama before her disappearance. A gift that held spiritual power of course, but for Mia, the true value of the ornament was sentimental. She always wore it around her neck, even now, to keep her family close to her heart. Mia rarely prayed to the gods or spirits, but when she did, it was always to bestow blessings on her closest relatives.

Mia sighed as she knocked on the door to Maya's room. The quirky-looking preteen answered and immediately looked at Mia's suitcases, packed and ready to leave.

"Mia? Are you leaving already?" She asked.

"Yes," Mia responded confidently. "I'm going to go back to the city with Mr. Armando and continue practicing law."

Maya's face was hard to read for a moment before it began to shine brightly.

"I'm so proud of you, Sis!"

Her arms flew around Mia's waist as she hugged her tightly.

"I'm going to miss you so much, Maya. I wish it wasn't so far away."

Maya scoffed playfully at her sister's words.

"No way! You have to go out and save the world! Do it for mom, okay?"

Mia felt the tears well up in her eyes at the mention of her mother. Hearing her sister's words made her even more sure that she was meant to be where she was going.

"Okay," She answered, softly. "I love you so much, Maya."

"I love you too, sis."

Maya pulled away from her sister's embrace to give her a mischievous grin.

"Speaking of love… who was that guy who came to see you today? He's so handsome, all the girls at the gate were swooning over him!"

Mia blushed profusely at her sister's words.

"Oh god, Maya, he's just a work friend. We're… legal partners now." She added the last part hesitantly, as if she was speaking it into existence. The concept was still new to her.

"Well, you should totally get on that and snatch him up! I want you to be happy and have lots of babies, okay?"

Mia rolled her eyes at the last part, but deep down, she knew her sister's words were true. She did want to snatch him up before anyone else could get their hands on him, but it was much easier said than done.

Suddenly a new voice joined their conversation.

"What is this about babies? You don't have something you need to tell me, do you, kitten?"

Mia's heart just about dropped from her chest and her cheeks became a shade of red deeper than her colleague's bright dress shirt.

Maya's eyes widened as she took in the sight of Mia's new partner standing in the doorway. She gasped and held out her hand to introduce herself.

"You must be Mr. Armando! Mia has told me soooo much about you! I'm her little sister, Maya."

Diego looked at her outstretched hand, and instead of shaking it, he captured her slender fingers and placed a gentle kiss on the back of her palm. Maya visibly melted at his gentlemanly gesture.

"So you're the baby kitten, huh?" He cocked an eyebrow at Mia, who was in the corner of the room, still blushing madly. He turned his attention back to Maya and purred, "Mr. Armando was my father, you can call me 'Diego'."

Maya was so enthralled with the Latino man's charm that she could barely speak, a stupid grin permanately stuck on her youthful features. Diego smiled again and then called out to Mia.

"Ready to go, Kitten?"

Mia nodded, gathering her bags. Maya turned to her sister and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, much to Mia's dismay. She quickly kissed her sister goodbye, and followed Diego out of the room.

Maya called out to the pair as they left, "Nice meeting you, Diego! Take good care of my sister!"

Mia blushed for the millionth time as Diego let out his signature laugh.

"Ha…! She's sweet. I didn't know you had a sister."

Mia smiled. "I guess you could say she's the only real family I have left."

Before she could say anything else, the pair were immediately stopped in their tracks by a dark figure in front of the gate. Mia recognized it immediately.

"I hope you don't make a habit of this, Mia."

That cold, demonic voice always sent a shiver down Mia's spine. Carefully, she met the stern, condescending gaze of her Aunt Morgan.

"Don't worry. You won't be seeing me anytime soon." She replied, monotone.

Morgan was silent for a moment before she gave a retort.

"Allow me to make one think clear: You bring shame to your family and our village. Making a mockery of our values, and even bringing a stranger past our borders!" She looked Diego up and down, glaring at the handsome attorney. "You of all people should know better than that. What would your mother think?" Mia felt the protective hand of the senior attorney rest on the small of her back. Diego stood solid beside her, preserving his calm and collected demeanor while his entire body was internally fuming with rage at the old woman.

Mia didn't break eye contact with her aunt. A silent battle for dominance which she refused to lose. Morgan paused abruptly before adding a final addendum to her send-off.

"Those who succumb to desires of the flesh, will die by the flesh. Make no mistake, Mia Fey, you will never be worthy of what you aspire." Morgan ended her taunt by spitting in Mia's face as she closed the door on the two attorneys.

Mia was silent for a moment before she turned her back on the village gates, heading towards the road. Diego was stunned into shock, but soon followed after her.

"Mia…" he called out. She did not turn around.

"Mia." He repeated, catching up to her and taking hold of her arm. He could see the tears forming in her eyes as she refused to look at him.

"I'm fine," she responded. "Let's get out of here."


	4. My lips are sealed, Kitten

Considering the senior attorney's affinity for bitter coffee, Mia was slightly taken aback when Diego produced a bottle of white zinfandel from his mahogany cabinet. The older lawyer caught her surprised gaze and laughed.

"Ha…! You know me too well, kitten. However, we all have our vices…" He handed her a long-stemmed wine glass, pouring them both a generous amount. Mia giggled as she sipped on the surprisingly sweet wine.

"You're a man of many surprises, Diego Armando…" Mia winced as the taste of the alcohol hit her throat, which caused her senior partner to chuckle.

"Perhaps I could interest you in some cafe au lait instead, kitten?"

Mia shook her head, rolling her eyes.

"No, it's just been a while since I've had a drink, that's all," Mia took another sip from her elegant glass. "It was never allowed in the village growing up, and I was always so busy in college… I guess I never really got around to acquiring a taste for it."

Diego smirked, raising his glass to toast to hers.

"Well, we can fix that. You've certainly earned it." Mia smiled, gently touching the top of her glass to his. She felt comfortable with him. This sense of relaxation wasn't something she was used to. She didn't have many friends outside of her home, and most of her family members weren't exactly warm and friendly, or even of age to drink. It felt good to have someone to spend time with, outside of work. She couldn't stop her unconscious mind from hoping that this could become a regular thing. Mia downed another gulp of wine, glancing at Diego over the rim of her near-empty glass. The older man sported his usual smirk, but she found it to be more jovial than its usual state of smug indifference. He took a long sip of his drink before he spoke.

"So, this village of yours… I suppose I can understand where you get your sharp claws from," he jabbed playfully. Mia let out a small sigh.

"Well, I come from a line of strong women," Mia paused, feeling a bit guilty for the impression her family must have left on him.

"Thank you," she whispered sincerely. "For coming to get me. I really mean it. You're one of the only people who have seen the wrath of my Aunt Morgan and lived to tell the tale." Mia ended with a small giggle as she remembered how much her actions had irked her family members.

"I'm sorry if I caused you any trouble," Diego offered sincerely.

"It's okay," Mia sighed. "Just your being there with me was enough to scare most of the elders away. They're not used to seeing many men in the village, after all. I'm sure they were all frightened to death because of you, all tall and imposing… "

Diego laughed at her statement.

"I did notice something was off when I first walked in… I've never received so much female attention all at once like that… "

Mia smiled softly in amusement. But for some reason, her stomach was full of butterflies at the thought of the older man being ogled by a bunch of thirsty nuns. Was it… jealousy? Mia couldn't help but wonder how deep her feelings for him really went. She took another sip of her drink.

"Well, a lot of the husbands of the mediums there don't last very long. Most of them feel threatened by such a strong matriarch and fear they're being ostracized… I've actually never even met my father," she muttered, focusing her attention on swirling her stem glass.

Diego glanced over at Mia. There was so much he didn't know about his former protege, and the more she let on, the more he admired her strength. There was something different about this woman… something that touched him deep inside, past his physical attraction and into a new frontier. Could this be what love is like?

It was nearing eleven o'clock. Hardly late for a Friday night by anyone else's terms, Mia thought, but still the sky was dark enough that her colleague's apartment was flooded with nothing but moonlight. She noticed how the soft illumination accentuated the older man's sharp jaw and cheekbones, making him look as though he were sculpted from stone. She couldn't help but stare at him intently.

Diego noticed her fixed gaze and laughed.

"Ha…! Enjoying the view, kitten? Or are you just trying to get me to get you another drink?"

Mia blushed, but handed him her empty glass to cover up the embarrassing moment. It seemed there had been a lot of those lately, many of them in the workplace, and it felt inappropriate to acknowledge the brewing tension, sexual or otherwise. Maybe a few drinks could fix that?

Diego returned with a shorter glass, a lighter color than the wine they had previously been drinking, adorned with a lime slice and mint leaf on the rim. Mia smiled at the presentation.

"I figured you should expand your tastes, kitten. She's sweet, but she's got claws…"

Mia rolled her eyes at the clear nod to her own personality as she sipped on the concoction. Diego was right, it was sweet, almost a bit sour, but the taste of something rather strong still hit the back of her throat. This time, Mia didn't wince at the taste, but looked her senior partner in the eye and took another sip. Diego smirked, satisfied, as he sat down across from her, swirling a glass of caramel-colored liquid.

"So…" Mia began, swallowing her last sip of alcohol. "What's your family like, Diego?"

Her partner sighed lightly and paused for a moment.

"Well, my parents passed away when I was young. I have a little sister, she still lives in Venezuela. I moved here when I was 15, and I've been on my own ever since."

The two sat in comfortable silence for a moment. It was only then that Mia realized how close their knees were to each other. Even in the lavishly large apartment, it still felt like the whole world was closing in on just the two of them. Maybe it was the rather large glass of wine or simply pure adrenaline that made the younger lawyer reach out her hand to take hold of his.

"Well, we can be alone together I suppose," she said with a soft smile that made her light brown eyes crinkle. Diego found himself at a loss for words at the feeling of her slender fingers suddenly intertwining with his own. He was rarely speechless in front of a woman, but this one… she had him melting quickly in the palm of her hand.

"Mia…"

In that moment, it seemed as if the ground had shifted beneath their feet, tumbling them closer and closer to each other so painfully slowly it made time stand still. Neither were sure who leaned in first, who made the first caress, or who pressed their lips against the other's so softly and surely. Slowly, beautifully, reverently, each passing second was met with a more passionate embrace. Time stood still as they broke apart, Mia's hands on Diego's chest, and his gently on her neck.

"Diego, I— We shouldn't…" Mia shook her head and reluctantly pulled away from him. "I'm a bit tipsy, I'm so sorry I—" Diego hushed her apology quietly.

"Mia. It's alright."

The pair slowly shifted out of each other's embrace, turning back to their respective drinks. The room was silent, but the air was still filled with the uninhibited passion from a moment ago. Mia placed her hands in her lap and bit her lip, as if deep in thought. Diego leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, not making eye contact. After a deep sigh from the younger attorney, and a few more sips of her mojito, she let out a drunken exasperated cry.

"Oh gods, forgive me…"

Mia took hold of the senior attorney's shoulders and quickly pushed her lips against his, slightly messier than before, but twice as passionate, with a newfound confidence she usually would have saved for the courtroom.

Her partner was shocked for a moment, but quickly followed suit and wrapped her up in a strong embrace. Hot and breathless, their lips met again. This time, it was desperate, needy, and fired by arousal. Diego's lips trailed across Mia's cheek, behind her ear, and down her neck, leaving slight lovebites in their wake. Mia bit back a moan, feeling nothing but pleasure and a fire in her center. The sensation of his hands caressing her waist and pulling her closer only fed her blinding need for him.

In a moment of drunken boldness, Mia shifted her hand down to his belt, gently tugging at his hips. Diego pulled away slowly and reluctantly, his eyes seemingly staring into her soul.

"Woah there, kitten…" he chided, gently guiding her hands into his own. "As much as I would love to ravish you right here, I'm afraid I can't take advantage of you in your current state, mi gatita."

Mia sighed, but knew he was right. She never would have been so forward without the aid of a few drinks, maybe it was for the best.

"Oh god, Diego, I—" he immediately stopped her.

"It's okay. Believe me, I understand."

Mia laughed softly, averting her eyes from his gaze. Knowing he wanted this as much as she did made her blush like a teenager.

"Well, you should know, you would have been my first man…"

Diego tilted his head slightly at her statement.

"So you're a virgin?" he asked.

"No, not exactly," Mia began. "I never told anyone this, but… Do you know that prosecutor, Lana Skye?"

Diego cocked an eyebrow, intrigued but confused.

"Yes, I do… Kitten, you didn't—"

Mia laughed.

"I guess you could say we kinda had a thing in college…"

Diego's eyes widened and donned his signature smirk.

"Ha…! You don't say. I never would have guessed, kitten."

Mia's cheeks grew redder as she tucked her bangs behind her ear.

"It was a long time ago! But I've never told anyone about it so keep your mouth shut, okay?"

Diego's smile deepened.

"My lips are sealed, kitten."

The senior attorney's usually empty, lavish apartment was filled with the sound of genuine laughter; a welcome new sense of warmth and happiness that it had never experienced before. Even after his guest had left, Diego still felt the warmth of her lips, the sheer softness of her skin, and the gentle lilt of her laughter linger long after she was gone.


End file.
